Who needs a passport? The short answer is: if you are going to travel internationally, you do. But of course, nothing is ever quite that simple. A passport is a travel document issued by your home country that allows you to leave and return. Citizens of all countries need a passport to travel out of their country and into another, but there are exceptions. Children traveling with you need passports too, even infants.

For instance, citizens in the European Union countries do not need a passport to travel from one country in the EU into another. US citizens and others often do not need to show a passport to travel between countries in the EU either, but you need a passport to get into one of the European Union countries in the first place.

If you are a US citizen, you will need a passport now more than ever. You have always needed one to fly to Europe, Asia and other continents. Now you need one to fly to Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. It used to be that to get into Canada, Mexico and most of the Islands of the Caribbean all you needed was your birth certificate and proof of identity like your driver’s license. September 11, 2001 changed all that.

To cross the borders into Canada and Mexico by land or by sea, that is driving or cruising, you currently need a passport, a passport card or a WHTI-compliant document. Or you need a government-issued Photo ID, such as a driver’s license, along with proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate.

WHTI stands for Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. There is a whole list of rules about what a WHTI-compliant document is. If you think you qualify for one of these, you’d better check the rules at the US Department of State to be sure.

Starting in July 2008, the US government began issuing US Passport Cards. These wallet-size cards are convenient and less expensive, but they can not be used for international air travel.

Each traveler’s documents must be current and valid. They can not be used if they have expired. In fact, depending on the rules of the country you are traveling to, they might have to be valid for 3 to 6 months after you return from your trip. That means they can’t expire for several months after your return.

It is up to you to make sure you have the proper documentation. You should not take the word of the airline you’re traveling with, the TSA or a travel agent. They can all give you advice, but if any of them is misinformed, it’s your trip that will be delayed or ruined.

It can be confusing, and the best advice is to check with the US Department of State or your local government agency. The very best advice is this: If you’re going to travel anywhere outside of the borders of the United States or your home country, just get a passport.

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This entry was posted on Monday, January 25th, 2010 at 7:49 pm and is filed under Adventure Travel, Travel Basics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.